Chapter 265
Audrey didn’t wake up until past nine. The house staff were used to this and greeted her respectfully
Yam had work out of town today, so he didn’t head into the offer. Instead, he stayed home and had breakfast with her.
Ted came over to report. “Ms. Smollett is here.”
Audrey had just taken a bite of her egg and gave a muffled response, waving for him to let the guest in
Ted looked toward Yann, and he said, “She said to let her in?
“Yes, sit.” Ted nodded and left.
Not long after, a bright laugh rang out. I saw the tech expo news. Your performance was pretty impressive.”
Audrey swallowed her food and stood up with a smile. “Have you eaten? Want to join us?”
Amelia sat down at the dining table and shot a disapproving look at Yann. “Why aren’t you at work? How are you supposed to support Audrey if you’re not making money?”
Audrey signaled the maid to bring another set of tableware and poured Amelia a glass of orange juice. “He just got back last night.”
Amelia shook her head, clearly unimpressed. “You can’t spoil men. He’s gotta keep going nonstop like he’s got a motor. Otherwise, he’ll end up chasing other women.”
She took a sip of the juice and added, “Oh, and that face mask you gave me? A few of my friends loved it. I was thinking of giving it to our female employees as a gift for the holidays”
“Sure. Have them reach out to our marketing department,” Audrey said, sending Amelia the contact info.
Amelia forwarded it via WhatsApp to her friends, tossing in a few reminders while she was at it.
Yann had originally planned to spend the whole day with Audrey, just the two of them. But Amelia clearly had no intention of leaving. On top of that, she seemed to find his presence annoying, so he ended up heading into the office after all.
The executives felt uneasy seeing the boss drop in out of nowhere when he was supposed to be on a business trip. A few of them even wondered if this was a surprise inspection after he had caught wind of something.
After the meal, Amelia brought Audrey to meet some of her friends in Ashbourne, and just by chance, they ranite Talia and Irene in the hotel lobby
Irene recognized Amelia and stepped forward with a smile. “Hello, Ms. Smollett. Oh, and this is my daughter, Talia.”
“Oh, I know her,” Amelia replied, her expression testering between polite and amused. “Tried to steal
al Audrey’s man and failed, so now she’s bullying her
through business tactics instead.”
Irene froze, utterly embarrassed. She knew Talia had been trying to marry into the Winifred family, but she hadn’t expected Amelia to be aware of that.
Irene pondered, ‘Sure, the whole tech expo mess was Talia’s fault, but didn’t Audrey get the upper hand in the end? Why does she make it sound like Audrey was the one being bullied!‘
“Audrey, if you don’t have a good lawyer,” Amelia said, reaching for her hand, “I can help you find one. We don’t pick F Anyone push us around.”
“I appreciate it,” Audrey replied. “But Mr. Willi has got it handled”
but we sure as hell don’t let
1/3
Chapter 265
Talia said nothing, her hand clenched lightly at her side.
Trying to keep the mood chil, Irene forced a smile and said, “Talia has been spoiled by me, I admit. She doesn’t know how to in herself in.
“I’ve already given her a good folding when we got back, and her grandfather has punished her ton. She knows she messed up
With that, Irene glanced at Audrey, thinking. They say Mrs, Winifred has the kind of looks that can steal a man’s soul. Guess that’s how turn someone like Yann into putty in her hands,
And now that I’ve seen her in person, well.. the rumors weren’t wrong. She’s absolutely stunning
Audrey wasn’t stunning at first glance, but her looks became more appealing the longer one watched her. She carried a unique charm that balanced youthful innocence and the subtle allure of a young woman. Even liene found herself captivated, let alone the men.
Irene glanced over at her own daughter and let out a quiet sigh, thinking, “With hair that short, not even a hint of a figure, and those boring black and white clothes, does she have any femininity at all
With a big smile, she said, “You must be Mrs. Winifred. Oh, you look so gentle and gracious. It’s no wonder Mr. Winifred treats you like you’re the most precious thing in the world,
“Talia is getting engaged to the heir of the Turner family soon. We would love to have you at the engagement party, Mrs. Winifred.”
Audrey immediately understood that this was Irene trying to use Keith to gain leverage. But given how close Yann was with Keith, her own stance didn’t really matter here, so she simply stayed silent.
Amelia gave a soft chuckle. “Oh? When is the engagement? Is it before or after she gets out of jail?”
Talia couldn’t hold it in any longer and snapped, “Nothing has been confirmed yet, Ms. Smollett. Even if it was plagiarism, the worst–case scenario is just a fine or a few days in custody.”
“Sure, plagiarism gets you a slap on the wrist,” Amelia replied, her smile sharp and cold, “but stealing trade secrets? That’s three years, minimum.”
She added, “And if it’s serious, you’re looking at seven or more: With the way you’re acting, Ms. Price, I’d say this definitely counts as serious.”
Irene gave Talia a quick pinch, signaling her to keep quiet. After all, if someone needed help, it paid to act like it–arguing would just make things worse.
Irene forced another smile and said, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Smollett, my daughter was out of line. Let me apologize to Mrs. Winifred on her behalf. Whatever demands you have, please tell us. We’ll do our best to make things right.”
But Amelia didn’t give Audrey a chance to speak. “What Audrey wants comes later. You should at least show you’re taking this seriously.”
Audrey was younger, if she said too much or came on too strong, it would hurt her image. Amalia, on the other hand, had no such concerns.
*Since this all happened,” Amelia said coolly, “you haven’t even issued a public apology. What did you think a low small gestures would sweep this under the rug? If you’re serious about making amends, have someone speak to our lawyers”
With that, she took Audrey by the arm and headed toward the elevator.
Just then, Audrey noticed a woman stepping out from the terrace, looking like she had just finished a phone call. She walked over to Talia and Irene, said something quietly, and turned, looking right at her.
Audrey pondered, ‘That must be Keith’s mother, huh? And on his engagement day… he’s not even here?”
As the elevator doors slowly slid shut, Irene’s pelite smile faded. “That Audrey really knows how to hold a grudge
nging to what Talia did,”
Keith’s mother, Wendy Turner, let out a chilly laugh. “Keith even offered her a project from Pantheon Films, and she still wouldn’t budge.”
Irene looked uneasy. “So what now?” She wasn’t helping Talia fight for the successor spot, but she couldn’t just sit back and watch her land in prison either.
Chapter 265
Wendy scoffed, “I refuse to believe Logan would just let Audrey run wild and make a fool of our family
With that, she pulled a small box from her bag and handed it to Talia “Keith couldn’t make it today. This is the engagement gift he prepared for pan.”
Talia opened it and found a diamond necklace inside. “Thank you, Mrs. Turner. But deep down, she knew this wasn’t from eith
Upstairs on the second floor, Amelia led Audrey into a private room, proudly announcing, “This is Audrey, Yann’s wife, and honestly, she’s like a daughter
to me.”
Everyone stood to greet Audrey, shaking hands and even offering gifts
To Amelia, Audrey was the best of the best. She practically wanted to hand her ev at the toch expo, she couldn’t stop beaming with pride..
resource she had. And when she brought up Audrey’s performanc
Even though Amelia hadn’t been there in person, she described everything with impressive clarity and homework afterward.
it was obvious she had done her
Audrey was deeply touched. Her cheeks flushed one moment, and the next, her nose stung from holding back tears.
Toward the end of the meal, her phone buzzed. “I’m going to take this,” she said to Amelia before stepping out to find a quiet spot.
On the other end, Lucia’s voice trembled. “Was it you who brought Amelia back? Why can’t you just let me have a good? No matter what, I’m still your mother. How could you team up with outsiders to take my husband away from me!”
E